


Biggest Weakness

by Kaiyou



Series: Scions and Sake [12]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, M/M, Manipulation, Physical Abuse, Poison, Vampire Politics, Vampires, Violence, Vomiting, no lasting physical injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 10:27:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9651872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiyou/pseuds/Kaiyou
Summary: As long as Oikawa can remember, Iwaizumi has been the most important person in his life. Unfortunately for both of them, other people know this as well - other people who have very different agendas in their lives.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So at a certain point in this, the events of "All Swept Up" are mentioned. Not sure how critical it is for you to have read it, other than it would probably help in setting the stage for some of the things that happen in the hs arc of this. 
> 
> Adults here are often called by their last name and san. So like, most of the time, Oikawa-san = Oikawa's mother, Yahaba-san = Yahaba's dad, Akaashi-san = Akaashi's aunt, etc. 
> 
> Also, [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP-SQG8EaaU) is the song that inspired some of this. There's more to their story obviously. I have a thing from Iwa's pov plotted out, but it'll come later on in terms of posting.
> 
> Finally, please do beware the tags on this; what happens to them as children is hard stuff.

“Once upon a time, there lived a little prince who really liked foxes. He went to a planet full of butterflies and his fox friend went with him, telling him stories about each and every butterfly, even the ones with weird hard shells that weren’t pretty at all.”

“Those are beetles, not butterflies, dummy.”

“You shouldn’t call me that, Iwa-chan. And I know they’re beetles but butterflies are prettier and prettier is better.”

“Is not.”

“Is too! Just like I’m better than - ouch!” Oikawa pouted at his friend, rubbing his arm. “You aren’t supposed to be mean to me. It’s not nice.”

“Well then stop trying to tell your story when I'm reading my book. There are no princes in this book.”

“There should be. There should always be princes.”

“I’ve got enough princes in my life already.”

“Rude, Iwa-chan.”

He caught the slight smile on his friends face and smiled as well, leaning over to look at the bug book Iwaizumi’s dad had gotten him for his birthday. It was nice. Oikawa was really excited about his own gift to Iwaizumi, a trip to a real life bug zoo. It had a ton of bugs! Way more than were in the book, though he guessed that some of the beetles with shiny shells weren’t that bad to look at.

“My parents want me to go to this stupid party for my birthday,” Oikawa said, rolling over on his back and looking up at the metal roof. “They won’t let me take you, though. It's dumb. Why would I want to go anywhere without Iwa-chan?”

Iwaizumi was quiet next to him, supposedly reading.

Probably not, though.

Just like it was probably selfish of him to want to take Iwaizumi with him to the party when they’d be surrounded by vampires. Ugh. “When I grow up, I’ll make it so that you get to come with me to every party I go to.”

“What if I don’t want to come with you to your stupid party?”

“Rude!” Oikawa huffed, kicking him softly. He had to be careful, he knew. Humans could get hurt so much easier than vampires. He’d hurt Iwaizumi before on accident, nothing bad just a sprained wrist, but he didn’t want it to happen again. So he let Iwaizumi punch him in the arm but barely tapped him back, just like he did with his mom’s cats if they scratched him.

He really didn’t want to go to this dumb party. He’d probably have to wear a suit. He hated suits, they were stuffy and gross and his mom tried to do weird things with his hair.

“Tooru!” a voice called.

Grumbling he took one last look at the book Iwaizumi was reading before saying, “See you later, Iwa-chan!”

“Later,” Iwaizumi said. “Have fun at your party tomorrow.”

“Fun Yeah. Right.”

Grumbling he scrambled down the ladder that led up to Iwaizumi’s loft in the garden shed, smiling at the woman waiting for him at the bottom.

“There you are, Tooru,” Iwaizumi-san said. Reaching out, she ruffled his hair. “You go on quick now, ok? Your mother wanted to talk to you.”

“Ugh, she would.”

She just shook her head as he walked off. He always liked Iwaizumi’s mom. His dad was even better, would take them out on rides in the golf cart so they could see the grounds, but his mom was alright.

Unlike Oikawa’s mother.

Running through the gardens and up the path he slipped inside, frowning when he saw her in the entryway.

“There you are, Tooru,” Oikawa-san said. “You were supposed to be inside an hour ago. I keep telling you, you can’t spend so much time with the human boy. You’re getting older. It’s almost your seventh birthday! You have responsibilities to take care of.”

“But he’s my best friend!” Oikawa said, stomping his foot.

His mother frowned. “He’s just a human. You’re far too attached.”

“Now, now dear,” his father said, walking down the stairs and patting her on the shoulder. “That’s not always a bad thing.”

“It will be when -”

His father shrugged. “Well, he’ll just have to come to understand that, won’t he?”

“What are you guys even talking about. Iwa-chan is my best friend and that’s final.”

“Aw, sweetie,” his mother said, kneeling next to him and licking her finger to rub a spot of dirt off his cheek, “you just need to know it could be dangerous for Iwaizumi to be your best friend. Humans are so fragile, after all.”

“I’ll protect him! I’m stronger than anything that would hurt him!” Oikawa said, struggling back from her grasp.

He felt a sharp sting on his cheek. It didn’t really hurt. It shocked him more than anything.

“You aren’t,” she said, frowning down at him. “You may be strong, little one, but there are stronger things out there.”

“Hanae -” his father said, frowning at her.

“He needs to learn it sooner or later. Strength is not something you can rely on blindly.”

“He’s only six.”

“Almost seven. How old were you when you learned? Do you remember, Katsuie?”

Tooru watched his parents stare at each other, then his father just shook his head and frowned at him.

“Tooru, go up to your room. We’ll talk about this tomorrow before the party.”

In an instant, he was gone, curling up in his own bed and wishing he could be with Iwa-chan instead.

Sometimes he really hated being a vampire.

~~~~~~

The sting from the slap had faded the next night, of course. Hurts never stuck around. His mother said his body was built to be strong and fast and heal, it was just more proof of how lucky he was.

He didn’t really feel lucky.

“You’re being a grump today,” Iwaizumi said, curling fingers around the bark of the old oak tree in the backyard.

“Am not!”

“Are too. What’s wrong, you that upset about having to go to the party?”

Pouting, Oikawa clambered up after him.

“It sucks,” he said, bouncing a little on the branch before Iwaizumi hissed at him. “I bet Kiyoomi’s going to be there with his friends. Why does he get to take his friends and I don’t get to take you?”

“Because Kiyoomi hates humans and thinks they stink?”

“Kiyoomi stinks. Him and Atsuma and Kourai. I hate them.”

“Maybe you’ll find another vampire there you’ll like?”

Oikawa stomped his foot. “I don’t want anybody but Iwa-chan!”

“Would you stop it, you’re gonna make me lose my -”

“What?” Oikawa said, turning to look at Iwaizumi.

“Tooru! Get in here right this instant!” his mother yelled from the house.

“Balance,” Iwaizumi said, holding his arms out and grinning at Oikawa.

“You’d never fall,” Oikawa said, laughing. “Can I just stay out here with you? Hide and not even go to the party?”

Iwaizumi shrugged. “I dunno, your mom might be pretty -”

There was a crack, and Oikawa’s eyes went wide. He saw actual fear on Iwaizumi’s face, then the branch gave way beneath him. Oikawa heard himself yelling, rushed forward as fast as he could, tried to catch him -

His fingers closed on air.

There was a thump on the ground below and he stood there, shaking, wondering what in the world had just happened.

Then there were screams from the house and he rushed down, fingers holding Iwaizumi’s hand.

“Iwa-chan!” he yelled, “Iwa-chan!”

“They called the ambulance - Hajime, baby, can you hear me, are you ok?”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Oikawa said, looking up at Iwaizumi’s mom. He - Iwaizumi - was he -

“Dumbass,” Iwaizumi finally said, eyes glazed over as he turned to look at Oikawa.

“Oh, Hajime, are you ok? What hurts?” she said.

“Leg,” Iwaizumi said, pushing up and hissing.

“Everyone calm down, let me through. Tooru, what happened?”

Oikawa felt slightly more stable as he looked up at his dad. “We were just climbing, and the tree - that branch, it’s Iwaizumi’s favorite, it’s strong, but it gave way -”

The older vampire narrowed his eyes and looked up at it, then back down at Iwaizumi. Kneeling, he felt along the boy’s leg, disregarding the way he cried out. “You’re lucky to survive a fall like this, Hajime-kun.”

“My leg -”

“It’s broken. Don’t worry, the EMTs will be here shortly. Anything else hurt? You aren’t too scraped up, which is lucky; it looks like the leaves cushioned most of your fall.”

“I - ugh - no, just - hurts.”

“Is he going to be ok, father? I have to go with him to the hospital! I’m so sorry Iwa-chan, I shouldn’t’ve bounced the branch -”

“Tooru,” his father said. “You know we have an event tonight.”

“But father -”

Oikawa looked down into Iwaizumi’s eyes and squeezed his hand, feeling sick inside. He wished with all his heart he could give some of his super-healing ability to his friend.

“It’s fine, Tooru-kun,” Iwaizumi’s mother said. “He’ll be just fine, right? Oikawa-san, thank you for making sure they’ll be here quickly.”

“Of course, Iwaizumi-san. Your family will have the best medical care available, like always.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“But -” Oikawa said.

Iwaizumi bit his bottom lip and said, “You have to go. Even if just for the chance to show that one kid - you know - that you would.”

It was lame. Oikawa knew Iwaizumi didn’t want to say Kiyoomi’s name in front of their parents. Oikawa had gotten in major trouble when someone overheard them talking about the Sakusa vampire kids one day, they hadn’t been able to play together for a week.

“He’ll be ok, right?” Oikawa asked Iwaizumi-san.

Her smile was tense when she looked at him, tense but honest. “Of course, Tooru-kun. He’ll be fine.”

“You’d better be alright. We’re supposed to go to the insect zoo next week!”

The adults tensed up, and Oikawa knew Iwaizumi caught it.

He’d be fine. He’d be fine. Iwaizumi would be fine.

“Of course, Tooru,” his father finally said. “Now, go inside and get dressed.”

“Can’t I stay until they take him away!”

“We have to go soon. You know your mother doesn’t like us to be late.”

Iwaizumi grinned at him. His face was as white as a sheet. “Go,” he said.

So Oikawa went, hating every step.

~~~~~

He hated the stupid party, too. All the adults were boring, and the other kids were idiots. Half of them tried to cozy up to him with smiles that were obviously fake. He didn’t even have Yahaba there. That didn’t matter. Yahaba was a baby still, just five years old and he liked books and didn’t like getting dirty. It was dumb.

As soon as he could manage, Oikawa slipped away into the trees at the edge of the party.

He doubted anyone even noticed he was gone.

It was dirty back here, filled with piles of leaves and things. Watari-san always said leaves were good for growing things, especially things that liked the dark. He’d shown Oikawa and Iwaizumi mushrooms and earthworms that lived in under the leaves with his flashlight. Oikawa hadn’t been all that impressed, but Iwaizumi really liked it.

Kicking a pile of leaves, Oikawa sighed.

He hoped Iwaizumi was alright.

Sighing he sat down with his back to one of the trees, not even caring that it meant his pants would get all dirty and his mother would be furious. So what if she was furious. It was all her fault for making him come here, even though he didn’t want to. They didn’t need him, no one at the party even noticed he was gone.

It sucked.

There was a rustling sound from one of the piles of leaves and Oikawa turned to look. His eyes widened as a tiny pair of pincers shifted a leaf to the side. No, they were horns. They didn’t look like horns, but they were horns, he was pretty sure.

He heard someone come up behind him, but as long as they didn’t scare the bug away it was fine. Standing he crept toward the insect. “Just... a bit.... Argh! Oh no!”

Sighing, he glanced back and saw the new boy. Kenji? Keiji? He couldn’t remember. The boy’s grey-green eyes were dark in the shadowed trees, but he hadn’t seemed too bad when Oikawa met him earlier. A lot of the adults were scared of him, and the kids said rude things, but Oikawa thought most of the other kids that came to these things were jerks anyways.

“I’m Oikawa Tooru!” Oikawa said.

“We met,” the boy said, shifting closer with a small frown. “I’m Akaashi Keiji. I’m surprised to see you back here, Oikawa-san.”

“Aka - Ke - oh, I know. I’ll call you Aka-chan!”

The boys opened wide at that, and he pursed his lips. “Aka... chan?”

“Yeah! Because you’re cute. Not as cute as me, of course, and not as cute as Iwa-chan, but you’re not bad.”

Akaashi’s brow furrowed. “Who is Iwa-chan?” he asked, looking back at the party.

“Iwa-chan is amazing! He’s my best friend ever. I was going to catch a bug for him because I don’t want him to be sad!”

Considering this for a moment, Akaashi nodded like it was the most reasonable thing in the world. Which was good, because it was.

“What should we catch it with?”

Frowning, Oikawa thought about it for a moment. “Um -”

“I have a pocket square that might work,” Akaashi said, pulling out a handkerchief. “We’d just have to be careful not to injure it.”

“Yeah! Iwa-chan says that people who hurt bugs are meanies. We use cups to capture the ones that come inside when they aren’t supposed to. Iwa-chan says some bugs like spiders are supposed to live inside, though. Well, not all spiders, but house spiders.”

“This Iwa-chan sounds very wise.”

“He is! He calls me names, though.”

“Oh,” Akaashi said, frowning. “He’s mean to you?”

Grinning, Oikawa said, “Nah. He doesn’t mean it. He’s awesome!”

Pursing his lips, Akaashi knelt in the dirt and tilted his head, looking for bugs. “Doesn’t mean it when he’s mean?”

“Nope! He’s always there for me, you know? I’ve known him forever. He hurt himself today so I want to cheer him up.”

A pale hand paused before picking up a leaf. “Iwa-chan is human?”

“Yeah,” Oikawa said, worried that Akaashi would be like Kiyoomi and not like humans. He clenched his jaw and waited for the other boy’s reaction. He’d actually be sad if Akaashi was rude like that because Akaashi was the first vampire he liked.

“I don’t have any human friends,” Akaashi said softly, looking over at him. “I don’t - humans never stay around long in my house.”

He looked sad about that, almost frightened. It made Oikawa want to hug him, but he settled for patting him on the shoulder instead. “Well, maybe you can come over and meet Iwa-chan? Later, I mean. If you want to.”

“Like - come over to play?”

“Well yeah!”

A tiny smile blossomed on Akaashi’s face, and Oikawa realized he’d probably have to revise his earlier opinion. Akaashi wasn’t just cute. Akaashi was beautiful.

“I’d like that, if I could,” Akaashi said.

Oikawa smiled back, delighted. This boy wasn’t a thing like Iwaizumi, but that was alright. For the first time, he’d found a vampire he actually wanted to be friends with.

“Ah, I think that’s one of them? Akaashi said, tongue peeking out as he slid his hands carefully around a large beetle.

“Yeah!” Oikawa said, beaming. He carefully laid the handkerchief down on top of the bug and slid it under and around, tying it so that the bug still had room to breathe. “So cool! I bet that -”

“And just what the hell do you think you’re doing, Tooru?”

Oh no. His mother.

Scrambling to his feet, Oikawa said, “I just - we -”

“Look at you! You’ve ruined your clothes - how am I supposed to take you out in front of everyone now?”

She’d locked a hand around his upper arm and was dragging him back toward everyone else, despite her words.

“But I just wanted -”

“Ah, is that a bug, Tooru?” she asked, reaching for the handkerchief. “You - this is not acceptable behavior. This is the type of behavior that might lead to Hajime having more accidents.”

Oikawa froze, eyes wide as he looked up at her. What did she mean? Was he - was it his fault Iwaizumi got hurt? Was it because he was bad?

“Excuse me, but the bug is for me,” Akaashi said.

His mother turned and looked, mouth open like she was ready to yell at him as well. Then there was a flash of recognition in her eyes, and the anger was replaced by a false sweetness. “Well then. You’re Akaashi-kun, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” said Akaashi, looking almost bored.

“Huh. And you like bugs, eh? Imagine that. How fortunate for Oikawa, to have two friends who like insects. How fortunate for Oikawa and Iwaizumi.”

Oikawa wasn’t really sure what to make of it when she looked at him, but he just nodded and gave the handkerchief to Akaashi. “I hope you like it,” he said.

Akaashi just nodded, and then looked up as another woman came over to them.

“Ah, there you are, Keiji-san,” she said, pursing her lips. “Oikawa-san. And this is your son, correct?”

“Why yes, Akaashi-san,” Oikawa’s mother said. “So lovely to see you here tonight.”

“Likewise.”

“I just discovered that your nephew and my son were playing in the woods. Ruined their clothes, of course, but I suppose boys will be boys, eh?”

The woman looked at Akaashi for a moment, then examined Oikawa from head to toe. “I suppose,” she said, looking back at Akaashi. “You made a friend?”

“Yes, Obasan,” he said, bowing his head respectfully.

“Hmm,” the woman said. “Well, this should be interesting.”

“Indeed,” Oikawa’s mother said, smiling tightly at the other woman.

“Have a lovely evening. I do think it’s almost time for Akaashi to go home.” the woman said, putting a hand on Akaashi’s shoulder and starting to steer him away.

“Ah!” Oikawa said, not wanting to let him leave. “Um, maybe Akaashi could come over sometime? Because, ah, both he and Iwaizumi like bugs! So they’d have a lot to talk about!”

“Bugs?” the woman asked, looking down at Akaashi curiously.

He nodded, glancing over at Oikawa.

“Well,” she said, “perhaps. We can talk about it later.”

When they were gone, Oikawa’s mother looked down at him. “Interesting,” she finally said. “You should cultivate this friendship, Tooru. House Akaashi could be powerful allies in the future.”

Oikawa didn’t really care about the future, but he did care about making a new friend. “Ok, mother,” he said, smiling up at her.

It was a fake smile. Iwaizumi would’ve seen through it in an instant.

He had a feeling she did as well, but she didn’t say anything about it, just pat him on the head.

“See, aren’t you glad you came tonight?” she asked.

Glancing over where Akaashi was checking the handkerchief in his pocket, he nodded. “Yes mother,” he said, shooting her another smile.

He hated smiling when he wasn’t happy, but he had a feeling it might be something he’d be doing more of in the future.

If it kept Iwaizumi safe, though, he’d do anything.

~~~~~~~~

One of the things Oikawa learned as the years progressed was that there was only so much he had the power to do.

They didn’t go to the bug zoo that month. Iwaizumi’s fracture kept him bedridden for several weeks, though the doctors assured them he would have no lasting damage. Akaashi came over a few times. He wasn’t always interested in bugs, but he was a good listener, and very smart.

The next year their circle expanded with the addition of Kenma. Kenma and Akaashi were both quiet in their own ways. Of course, with Kenma came Kuroo, and Kuroo was the furthest thing from quiet most of the time. In contrast to the others, Kuroo also enjoyed science, and he and Iwaizumi could talk about bugs and other things for hours.

They finally got to go to the bug zoo on Oikawa’s ninth birthday, when his parents rented out the entire place as well as the adjoining aquarium. It was an incredible, magical evening. Oikawa didn’t really see what was so special about bugs - especially the ugly ones - but it was enough for him that Iwaizumi liked them, and was happy.

It was also a nice respite from his parents.

Sakusa’s father saw Oikawa and his parents at an event the following month, however, and expressed concerns over the amount of time Oikawa was spending with his human. “Is it really all that seemly?” the man asked.

Personally, Oikawa felt it was incredibly seemly, and made a couple of remarks to the man that might possibly have been considered insulting. That wasn’t what Oikawa had met, of course. Not at all. Really.

He didn’t regret the words that night, but he did the following evening when he found out that Iwaizumi had been sent away for a work detail on one of their Vietnamese plantations.

Not only did it mean they were separated for two months, it also meant that Iwaizumi ended up contracting a virulent form of malaria. When he came home he was weak and listless, and Oikawa felt terrible.

He got better, though, and Oikawa started to learn how to hold his tongue.

~~~~~~

It wasn’t always an easy thing to learn. Over the next couple of years, his parent's relationship started to become strained. One night when he and Iwaizumi came home was especially bad. Iwaizumi’s mother had been taken by Oikawa’s father on a trip to serve as his blood source for the trip. Neither of them thought much of it, of course. It was just something people did.

“When I grow up,” Oikawa said, “I will take Iwa-chan on all of my trips with me because he’s the best.”

They were sitting in the library waiting for supper. They’d had a rough day at school, but Oikawa was excited because Akaashi was coming over later. Yahaba was with them, learning to act as Oikawa’s shadow, and to Oikawa’s way of thinking he’d actually grown up rather nicely.

“Who says I’d want to go with you, dumbass.”

“Rude, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa said, sticking his tongue out.

Yahaba was chuckling softly. At first, he’d been rather distressed at the tenor of their relationship, but he’d gotten used to it by now.

“Still! You could see the sites with me, and go around during the day and take pictures, and we could go to fancy restaurants and you could eat amazing food, and it would be awesome!”

Oikawa smiled at Iwaizumi, rather pleased at the way Iwaizumi looked away with his words. Something had been changing between them recently. It was subtle, but Oikawa thought he liked it.

The door cracked open. “It’s time for the human to eat dinner, Tooru,” Oikawa’s mother called out, eyes narrow as they looked at them.

Hopping up they all followed her into the dining room. It had become a custom of theirs to sit together while Iwaizumi ate, drinking a glass of blood and engaging in what Oikawa’s mother called polite conversation. Yahaba’s father was there as well.

They sat at a long table with Oikawa, Yahaba, and Iwaizumi at one end and the adults at the other.

“What’s dinner tonight?” Oikawa asked, sitting down next to Iwaizumi.

“Roast beef, looks like,” Iwaizumi said.

Yahaba just watched them, eyes wide. Kuroo had said that he had a bit of hero worship. Oikawa didn’t mind much. Their new friends Mattsun and Makki seemed to like Iwaizumi better than him, so it was nice to have someone admire him for a change.

Oikawa nodded and sipped his blood, deciding he should probably be polite. “Did you have a good evening, mother?” he asked.

“To an extent,” she said, frowning as she looked at them.

There was nothing new in that. She was always frowning, lately.

“Have you heard from father?”

The glass in her hand cracked, and Oikawa froze.

“I have not,” she said, voice as melodious as it had been a few moments earlier. “Have you heard from your mother, Hajime?”

Iwaizumi paused, putting his bite down. “No, ma’am.”

“Ah. Pity. I assume they’re having a wonderful time in Dubai, though. Beautiful city.”

Oikawa nodded carefully, not sure where this was going.

“By the way, Tooru. I received a phone call today.”

“Phone call?” Oikawa asked, glancing briefly at Iwaizumi before a sinking suspicion started to grow in his gut. “Ah, what about, mother?”

“I think you know.”

Kageyama.

Suspicion started to blossom into fear.

“Nothing happened,” Oikawa said, looking again at Iwaizumi. “It was just - just a misunderstanding, that’s all.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yeah! Iwa-chan - he stopped - ah - made sure we - ah - nothing happened!”

“It was reported to me that Hajime did an excellent job at distracting you from your intended action.”

The intended action had been to punch Kageyama in the face. He knew it had been stupid, he knew he would’ve regretted it if he’d succeeded - and not just because it would make his mother mad. Kageyama just always made him feel so frustrated.

The perfect son. The genius. The amazing fighter, so talented for his age. It went on and on and on, and then the brat had the temerity to come up and act like he thought Oikawa could teach him something -

“He did!” Oikawa said, hands curling around the arms of the chair.

“And I’m very pleased with that.”

No. No. No.

Maybe she’d hurt him instead - please -

“Iwaizumi, one of the labs has been experimenting with a new chemical. I’m curious to see what effect it has on humans.”

Looking over, Oikawa saw how Iwaizumi’s hands curled even tighter around his silverware.

“Effects, ma’am?”

“Yes,” she said, motioning with her hand. One of the servants walked over to them carrying a glass full of a deep orange liquid. “I’d like you to try it out for me.”

“Mother - no, please - he did everything right -”

“You didn’t, Tooru. You know what happens when you behave inappropriately.”

The glass sat between them, and Iwaizumi looked at it, swallowing. Yahaba looked horrified.

Slowly, Iwaizumi uncurled his hand from around his fork and started to reach toward the glass.

“Yahaba-kun, I trust that you’ll make sure my son does not harm himself by doing anything -”

No way in hell. Not this time.

Reaching out lightning quick Tooru snatched the glass and downed the liquid.

“Oikawa!” Iwaizumi yelled.

“Like that. Yahaba-san, if you would.”

Suddenly Iwaizumi was gone, hauled to the other end of the table.

“No!” Oikawa yelled, stomach burning from whatever was in the liquid. Oh, it hurt. Better him than Iwaizumi though, always. But now -

“I should give him forty lashes for that bit of impertinent, young man,” Oikawa’s mother hissed, not even trying to be polite now. “First you shame us in front of the Kageyama family - who, might I remind you, shares an ancestor with us! And then - willfully trying to get out of your punishment!”

“Make it be mine! Hurt me!” Oikawa yelled, doubling over and glaring at her.

He felt Yahaba’s hands tremble as they held his arm, and shifted his glare to him, then stopped when he saw the fear in his friend’s eyes. This wasn’t Yahaba’s fault.

“Maybe sixty lashes,” Oikawa’s mother said, pushing Iwaizumi down over the table in front of her.

He wasn’t even struggling.

He just stared at Oikawa like he was trying to tell him something without words. Calm down, probably. Stop reacting so much. It’s just what she wants. All the things Oikawa knew but - fuck - sixty lashes -

“Might I speak freely, madam?” Yahaba’s father asked.

“Hmm,” said Oikawa’s mother. “I suppose you may.” Her fingernails were tracing patterns in the skin of Iwaizumi’s back, her right index fingernail breaking the skin. Oikawa could smell the blood.

“Well, I have it on good authority that young Iwaizumi-kun here is starting to make a name for himself as a fighter. Sixty lashes would probably leave scars. Some of the other houses might think less of us for using damaged fighters - and he’s already linked rather strongly to your son.”

Stilling, Oikawa watched the man, not sure if he should feel hopeful or terrified.

“Hmm, you might be right, Yahaba-san,” she said. “Did you have another suggestion?”

“Well,” Yahaba-san said, “I hear your husband is fond of the vintage of this bloodline. Perhaps we could discover together exactly what is so special?”

Together. What. Iwaizumi’s eyes opened wide at that. Oikawa had drunk from him, of course - normally just a sip here and there when he got hungry, or as a way for Iwaizumi to calm him down when he got upset, but two adults -

“They could kill him,” Oikawa whispered, sucking in a breath as his mother sent him a sickly-sweet smile.

“They won’t,” Yahaba said softly.

Trust. He had to trust.

“Tooru,” his mother said, turning Iwaizumi over, “if you move one inch from that spot while we’re feeding, I’ll give him the lashes as well. Scars or no scars.”

The pain in his gut was nothing compared to the nausea he felt as his mother and Yahaba’s father bent over, sinking their teeth into Iwaizumi’s neck.

Iwaizumi cried out, jerking in their grasp.

“Oikawa-senpai,” Yahaba whispered, “remember. It won't hurt, not past the first few moments.”

He knew. He knew, but he also knew Iwaizumi was fighting it, arms shaking from where they were held down by the two adults. This was so many different levels of wrong he didn't even know what to say.

Iwaizumi went still.

Oikawa hoped beyond hope that he was imagining the sickly paleness he saw in Iwaizumi’s skin.

Yahaba-san lifted up, fingers shifting to press against the inside of Iwaizumi’s wrist. “Oikawa-san,” he murmured.

She lifted up from Iwaizumi’s neck, not bothering to close the wound. “Huh,” she muttered, staring down at him. “I’ve had better.”

“The wound?” Yahaba-san asked.

Looking over at Oikawa, she frowned, licking her lips. “Ah, whatever. I suppose you’re right, we shouldn’t send scarred meat out in public. Go ahead and close it, then take him out to his room.

Sucking in a breath, Oikawa started towards them, feeling Yahaba hold him back.

“Tsk, I haven’t told you that you can move, son.”

Freezing, Oikawa watched as Yahaba’s dad licked the wounds closed and carried Iwaizumi from the room.

He was alive. Unconscious, but alive.

Oikawa hated his mother then.

“Akaashi-san and her nephew will be arriving shortly,” his mother said. “Go get cleaned up and presentable to meet them. I expect you to of course be on your best behavior.”

Swallowing, he felt Yahaba’s hand tighten on his arm. Nodding, Oikawa said, “Yes, mother.”

“I’ll see you shortly.”

Oikawa watched as she stormed out of the room, then let Yahaba lead him up to his suite. He barely made it inside before his stomach revolted. He rushed to the bathroom, puking until his body felt wrecked and trembling, and terribly terribly cold.

“I’m so sorry, Oikawa-senpai,” Yahaba said, rubbing his back and wiping his face with a cool cloth. “So sorry.”

“Why can’t she just hurt me?” Oikawa cried, leaning over the porcelain basin. “It was my fault, Tobio’s fault, not Iwa-chan's! He -”

“I know, I know,” Yahaba said.

“And then Tobio went and told on me? I hate him! I hate him so much. It’s his fault! Spoiled, whiny brat. Always gets everything he wants. Oh, Tobio is so good at this, oh he’s such a genius, stupid - deliberately provoking me, he knew...”

Yahaba just sighed.

It didn’t matter. It was done, he’d find a way to get revenge on his kohai somehow. That didn’t change the fact that Iwaizumi was lying in his bed alone, with his only parent halfway around the world.

“Do you think they’d let you check up on him?” Oikawa asked. “Or Watari? Even Mattsun and Makki, pull them out of the dorms...”

“I”ll ask my dad,” Yahaba murmured, rubbing Oikawa’s back.

Oikawa tensed. “Your dad.”

“Please don’t be mad at him, Oikawa-senpai,” Yahaba said. “He’s just - he tries. He knows. He said you’re the only one who can fix things. Not now, when you’re older, but still.”

Turning his head, Oikawa stared at Yahaba, reading his fear in the trembling of his lower lip.

It was the first time that it began to dawn on him that this went beyond just him.

If his mother was willing to do this to her own son - to her own son’s servants -

Blinking, Oikawa reached out for Yahaba, only pulling back when he remembered where his hands had just been. “Ew, sorry.”

Yahaba hadn’t even flinched.

Sniffling, Oikawa stood and went to wash his hands. “Akaashi-san likes black and gold, right? Gold does nothing for me, but maybe get out something nice in black? I wouldn’t want to disappoint mother.”

The last words were spat out and he swallowed, trying to count to ten. He’d have to do better than that. He’d have to put on the best face in the world, beat her at her own game.

It wasn’t just about Iwaizumi and him anymore, he saw that. He knew he’d been born for a fight. He just hadn’t realized that the fight would extend to those within his own house. But things had to change.

No one deserved what had happened tonight.

No one.

~~~~~~~~

Akaashi learned everything about what had happened to Iwaizumi.

It wasn’t intentional, not exactly. It was more that Oikawa couldn’t be bothered to hide things from his best friend - well, best friend other than Iwaizumi. Yahaba already knew, so why not Akaashi?

Besides, Oikawa needed Akaashi, especially for those times when his mother separated him and Iwaizumi. It happened several times over the next few years. It helped a bit that Iwaizumi’s mom came back from their trip married to another woman, sweet and flowery and utterly deferential. It also helped that Oikawa’s parents went away on a trip of their own, leaving the rest of the house to breathe easily for two months with Yahaba-san in charge. Still, as much as Oikawa tried to be perfect, he wasn’t.

Sometimes, he didn’t even realize when he’d made a mistake.

~~~~~~

Waking up that evening in his second year of high school, Oikawa felt pretty good. The night before had been a smashing success, he and his friends had reminded the Americans at their school not to fuck with the natives, and he’d made an interesting new friend in Semi.

Plus, Iwaizumi was very very warm.

Sighing happily, Oikawa pressed back into the body behind him, sliding his fingers between Iwaizumi’s where they pressed against his chest. Getting to this point had been a natural development in some ways, though Oikawa still worried about things.

In the end, was Iwaizumi curled up with him because they were really friends, or because he had to? Oh, he knew Iwaizumi cared. Knew that technically, Iwaizumi could walk away from this at any time, get a different job. Was pretty sure Iwaizumi knew he could always tell Oikawa to stop if they did something he didn’t like.

But he was never quite sure if he would.

“You’re awake,” Iwaizumi murmured, nuzzling against the back of Oikawa’s neck.

“I am.”

Something in his tone of voice must’ve given him away, because Iwaizumi pushed up, tugging at Oikawa until he was on his back.

“You’re thinking again,” Iwaizumi said.

Gasping, Oikawa said, “Iwa-chan! What a thing to accuse me of!”

That earned him a grin. Iwaizumi rolled out of bed and stretched, tugging at the waistband of his jeans. “You know, someday we should try not sleeping in our clothes. I’ve heard it’s a thing people do.”

He turned and gave Oikawa a look, something dark and smoldering that made Oikawa’s heart beat faster even as it reminded him of their old argument.

“But then we wouldn’t be able to sleep together,” Oikawa said, covering his discomfort with a laugh as he pushed up himself. “I mean, I’d be happy to sleep in my own bed if you’d prefer -”

“Oikawa -”

“I mean, I don’t want to impose -”

“Damnit, Tooru -”

“I can just leave now if -”

“Tooru!”

Oikawa clinched his fists behind him, looking down at where Iwaizumi had his fist clenched in the fabric of his shirt. “You’re going to wrinkle it.”

Looking down.

Iwaizumi was shorter than him.

Iwaizumi would never be taller than him because all the things Oikawa’s parents had done ended up stunting his growth. His whole life, his potential, curtailed because Oikawa hadn’t known how to behave.

It was all his fault.

“Tooru, damn it would you stop looking so fucking guilty, fuck -”

“I have to go.”

A few buttons ripped from his shirt when he pulled away from Iwaizumi’s grasp, rushing down the ladder. He was stopped short by Yahaba standing in the doorway to the shed, grave look on his face.

“What is it, Yahaba?”

“Its... your mother,” he said. “She’s looking for you. And Iwaizumi.”

A chill shot through Oikawa’s veins at that.

“Looking for me as well?” Iwaizumi said, coming up behind Oikawa.

Yahaba nodded.

No. Not again. They’d won, there was no reason for her to be angry -

But it wasn’t like she ever needed a reason.

Shellshocked he followed Yahaba to the main house, holding Iwaizumi’s hand. The air was fragrant, too sweet. Gardenias. He hated gardenias. Yahaba had his head down, silent as he opened the door and led them inside.

“Finally,” his mother said as they entered the study.

She sat behind her large oak desk, his father behind her. There was a glass of yellow liquid sitting on the desk in front of her.

“No,” Oikawa said, already trembling.

“Oh, yes,” his mother said, lips twisting into a nasty smile. “Your little stunt with the American girl caused far too many problems. Did you really think you could do whatever you want and not have any consequences? You - and I bet that Kozume boy was involved in this too, his family is getting far too uppity lately. They need to know their place.”

Feeling ill, Oikawa said, “But - we won - no one can trace it to us -”

“You think people don’t know? You think just because you left no evidence behind that people won’t put the pieces together? Luckily her family has a son to take her place, otherwise, you might be dealing with far worse consequences. And for what, some orphaned street urchin?”

Narrowing his eyes, Oikawa said, “But he’s -”

A slight shake of the head from his dad stopped him, and he thought. She didn’t know. She had no clue that Semi might be someone important, that his parents might be people of note - she didn’t know anything about the secrets that surrounded him.

His dad did, though.

And his dad didn’t want him to let her know.

Fact - his mother was going to have her way one way or another no matter what he said.

Fact - she probably wouldn’t kill Iwaizumi.

That and other facts made him hesitate long enough that he barely noticed as Iwaizumi let go of his hand and strode up to the desk. “Fuck it, I’ll drink it,” he said, picking the glass up and chugging it down.

“Iwa!” Oikawa called out, rushing to him as the human collapsed. “What was in it this time, you -”

“Now, now, Tooru,” his dad said, “you know your mother only wants what’s best for you.”

Iwaizumi still had a pulse at least, though he was spasming. Turning him on his side Oikawa rubbed his back, looking up as two servants came and knelt beside him.

“He will be fine, Oikawa-sama,” one of them said. “Just let us do our jobs.”

“Stupid - dumb - Iwachan -”

“Stop whining and let them take him,” his mother said. “Otherwise, I might just have to administer another dose. Though that would throw the test results off.”

Matricide was against the law. Oikawa knew this.

Even if he could hope to kill her, he’d be dead as well - and then -

It was the thought of what they might do to Iwaizumi that stayed his hand. That, and Yahaba, and Mattsun, Makki, all the others that had been born to serve his family this generation. What had Kenma said about what he was trying to do? The long game, yes. Well, Oikawa could play the long game as well.

“Fine,” Oikawa said, squeezing Iwaizumi’s cold hand before backing off and crossing his arms, looking his mother in the face.

“Better,” she said. “Now, what do you say?”

“Thank you for your correction, mother. I won’t do it again. I’ll make sure to be very circumspect in any actions in the future so that I don’t bring shame to the family.”

“Good,” she said, smiling. “Not quite as smooth as I expect, but you’ll learn. Hopefully, I won’t need to use this type of motivation in the future - but then again, I hoped for the same thing last time, right?”

“Yes, mother. Sorry to be a disappointment, mother.”

“Yes, well. The things I put up with.” Sighing, she waved her hand. “You may go.”

Oikawa left, giving Iwaizumi one last glance before going up to his suite.

~~~~~~~

That night, he spent his time in solitude, thinking deeply about things. Moves he could make. Things he could do that would be effective in the long run. He wanted to beat her - but beat her at her own game. That wasn’t something he could do alone.

Fortunately, he wasn’t alone.

The next night at school, he pulled Kenma aside during their free period.

Golden eyes looked up at him with mild curiosity. “Yes, Oikawa-san?”

“Please, Ken-chan. You know you can call me Tooru.”

Kenma just nodded like he always did.

Sighing, Oikawa looked out the window onto the quad below. “I need to tell you - my mother suspects you may have been involved with the hack job we pulled. She was, ah. Displeased with the incident. It’s possible she might try to take it out on you somehow.”

Pondering this for a moment, Kenma nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Oikawa said, thinking through how best to go about this. “You know, when I was talking to her last night, your words came to me.”

“My words?” Kenma asked, brow furrowing.

“What you say about what you’re doing with your family. About how you’re playing the long game.”

Kenma wasn’t looking at him now, He’d tilted his head down, hiding his eyes with that long two-tone hair. “Oh,” he said.

“Ken-chan,” Oikawa said, “Thank you.”

He nodded, but still didn’t look up. They all knew that what Kenma was trying to do - getting his family to elite status - was probably a longshot. Still, Oikawa knew that if anyone could do it, it was probably the vampire in front of him.

It was, he had to admit, one of the reasons why he’d sure to make Kenma a friend.

“We’re friends, right Ken-chan?”

“Yes,” Kenma whispered.

There were moments Oikawa hated being a prince and this was one of them. He hated the idea of Kenma being scared of him. Kenma, or anyone else - well, maybe not anyone.

“Are we the type of friends who do each other favors, Ken-chan?”

Kenma tilted his head and glanced up, probably trying to read his face. “I think we are,” Kenma finally said, tone guarded.

Biting his lower lips, Oikawa said, “I need a favor. A big favor, that will require a lot of discretion. Something that won’t hurt my family, though.”

Evidently, something in his tone convinced Kenma, because his look changed from guarded to slightly crafty. “Really now?”

Smiling, Oikawa let himself relax. “Yes.”

“Well then. I’m sure that can be arranged. If it’s in my power.”

“I’m fairly certain it will be.”

~~~~~~

It took three more years to find the right type of information for what Oikawa had planned. Kenma was a huge help. It was only mildly disturbing to know exactly how well Kenma knew the Oikawa holdings now, alleviated a bit by the fact that nothing Kenma had done had required effort on Oikawa's part. After he got the data from Kenma, all that was left was visiting privately with key members of the board that ran his family's holdings - something his mother wanted him to do anyway as a part of his training. Yahaba-san was the first one he visited, just to test things out and make sure of the other man’s loyalty.

He wasn’t the last.

The most useful of his contacts was an elder named Irihata, who was only rarely active in the house's business, but who happened to be an old friend of Nekomata’s. He took one look at the data Oikawa brought and was immediately on the computer, verifying everything. In the end, he studied him carefully, then nodded before describing exactly how he suggested that things should go.

In the end, his mother didn’t even see it coming.

He was supposed to only be at the board meeting in a learning capacity - the fifth such monthly board meeting he’d attended. Yahaba was with him, having proved to be smart and loyal. His dad was there as well, of course, and Irihata and some of the older vampires that normally assumed a more retiring role in the Oikawa enterprises. Their presence made his mother frown for a moment, but she pressed on like nothing was wrong.

Nothing was. At least, until Oikawa raised a hand during the section for new business.

“Ah, pardon me, Oikawa-san,” he said to his mother, “But I wanted to share some information with the board that I recently discovered during one of my information-gathering sessions.”

“Oh?” she asked, smile a little too tight. “And just what might that be?

“It’s probably just easier if I project it to the screen. Ah, yes, like this. These, you know, are our holdings in Malaysia. As you can see, these are some of the competing holdings that the Sakusa family owns, and these are the holdings of some of the local clans. In this section, you will see some of our proposed acquisitions and their prices - please note the discrepancies between their asking price and the actual worth of the properties.”

There were a few murmurs of concern. His mother didn’t seem to quite understand what was going on. That was fine - Oikawa hadn’t either, not until Kenma explained the situation to him in detail.

“You see, in order to acquire these, it will tie up resources here and here. These properties here are being used as a guarantee for these deals here, and furthermore, the acquisitions here will put us in jeopardy of this treaty established in 1847 - by your father, I believe, mother? Ah, and the nullification of that treaty would leave us open here in Vietnam, Laos, Tibet - ah - it’s a bit of a domino effect, you see here...”

It was all complicated stuff. Oikawa had practiced for hours to make sure that he was on point with all the details needed to explain the situation. He’d also asked Kenma to show Yahaba where and how he’d found the information, which he’d been happy to do. In exchange, Oikawa carefully overlooked the places where the Kozume corporation had obviously gained benefit from the information. He didn’t begrudge Kenma for making his holdings stronger, after all.

It was good to have strong allies, and none of the gains had been at Oikawa’s expense.

After he was finished explaining and answering questions, things were silent for a moment. Then one of the elders turned and looked at his mother.

“Well, I’m certainly glad we chose to attend this meeting, Oikawa-san,” she said. “Imagine the harm this could have caused if it had been allowed to go through.”

“Yes - well - how fortunate that my son was looking -”

“Unfortunately, there are no guarantees we will be so fortunate in the future, is there?” another of the elders asked. He tilted his head to the side, eyes squeezing together in a slight smile as he glanced at Oikawa. “Your leadership has been slipping the past few years, Hanae-san. Perhaps it’s time for you to take a step back from the day to day operations?”

“What? That’s ridiculous - what do you mean - who would -”

“Your son seems to have a good handle on things,” said Irihata.

That was the moment Oikawa knew he’d won.

His mother seemed to grasp it as well. “But - he’s not even out of college yet - he can’t -”

“He’s been interning with Yahaba-san, correct? Who, as we all know, has provided admirable support over the past few decades. Perhaps it might be interesting to give them a trial run? We would all take a more active role, of course, especially over the more important business deals, but it would be interesting to see how he handles himself. After all, he is born and bred to be a leader.”

His mother’s red lips opened, but she had no more words. Narrowing her eyes, she turned to Oikawa. “You - you little traitor - you did this knowingly -”

Oikawa opened his eyes wide, the picture of innocence. He wanted to tell her off. Wanted to let her know that if he was anything, he was the man she’d made him.

But not everyone in the boardroom knew about the details of his plot, and even those who did would look unkindly on him if he acted without subtlety. Still, he couldn’t resist a parting shot. “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful vacation, mother. I’ll try to do you proud.”

“Ahh! You -”

Oikawa stood his ground as she started toward him, stopped only by his father’s iron grip around her upper arm.

“Hanae,” he hissed. “You know better than to do this.”

Eyes narrowing, she stopped. Her lips turned up in a false smile. “I wonder how your human will feel when you tell him the news? If you get to, of course.”

An echo of past fear slid through him, but he kept his own smile plastered to his face. “I’m sure he’ll be most happy.”

She didn’t need to know that Iwaizumi was tucked away at Irihata’s place, with Akaashi and Kenma for company. Iwaizumi’s two moms were there as well, along with Watari and his father and Mattsun and Makki - anyone Oikawa could think of that might be used against him.

Never again.

Something in his face must’ve shown that truth to his mother, because she just crumbled before his eyes, leaning on his father as red tears streamed down her face. “But - I’ve given everything - everything to him, to this family -”

“Hush,” Oikawa’s father murmured, stroking her hair and giving Oikawa a tight smile. “We’re just tired, is all. It’s time to rest and relax. You’ve earned it.”

That was it.

~~~~

His parents left on a long vacation after that. His mother refused to speak to him, but Oikawa didn’t mind. He was surprised to receive a phone call from his father late one night apologizing for the way they’d raised him, with vague excuses about how they’d been raised themselves and the challenges they expected him to face with the other elites.

No excuse was worth what had happened to Iwaizumi.

He and Iwaizumi moved out to an apartment closer to the heart of the city. Oikawa had wanted to tell him he didn’t need to come. For a while, though, he needed to be selfish. He needed the support. Soon, one day, he could let him go.

The choice was weighing heavily on him one night when Iwaizumi pushed open his study door.

“Yo, I’m going to go practice later on tonight, so if you want a sip you’d better get it now.”

“Eh?” Oikawa asked, blinking as Iwaizumi snorted and tugged on the neck of his shirt.

 

“Blood, dumbass,” Iwaizumi said. “Unless you’ve decided to go on a full-bottle diet like Akaashi?”

“What? No, ew, that stuff gets so gross on its own.”

Lips twitching, Iwaizumi walked closer. The sway of his hips was mesmerizing, and Oikawa couldn’t tear his gaze away.

“Well then,” Iwaizumi said, pushing Oikawa’s chair so that Oikawa was facing him, “do you want to have a drink?”

He was close, leaning over so that their breath almost mingled. Oikawa could smell everything that was Iwaizumi - fresh sweat from where he’d been working out with their weight machine, hints of the cologne Oikawa had bought him for his birthday, everything that he’d been doing his best to resist for years. In moments like these, it was hard to remember why.

Then he looked up into Iwaizumi’s eyes and remembered.

“You can leave if you want,” he blurted out suddenly, watching Iwaizumi’s eyes flash with puzzlement before growing guarded. “I mean - we can find another position for you, for your moms. Or you could change your major to that bug study thing you always wanted to do. I’m sure we could find a place for you. I could sign a contract, releasing you from any duties so that I couldn’t even come back and try to claim something - buy your moms a house where they wouldn’t have to work anymore - whatever you want -”

“What the hell, Shitty-kawa,” Iwaizumi said, rearing back.

“I just - I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this anymore. Or that you have to do any of it, just because I -”

Iwaizumi stared at him, eyes narrowing. “You think I’m here because I think I have to be?”

Swallowing, Oikawa shrugged.

For a moment there was anger in Iwaizumi’s eyes, then they softened. “You’re such a fucking idiot, Tooru.”

“I - what?”

“I want to be here,” Iwaizumi said.

“You - what?” Oikawa said. “No - but how could you - maybe it’s just because we’ve been together so long? Like Stockholm Syndrome, or -”

“No,” Iwaizumi said, reaching out and brushing Oikawa’s hair back from his face. “No, nothing like that.”

“But - but you’ve been hurt so much, because -”

“Because you cared about me, I know. Because it hurt you when I got hurt, and because your mother was - is - a fucking psychopathic bitch.”

“If - if I didn’t care about you, you wouldn’t’ve hurt so much, you could’ve -”

Shaking his head, Iwaizumi crawled into his lap, straddling him and running fingers through his hair. “Could’ve nothing. Who knows. The only thing I know is that if I had a choice between a world where none of that happened but you didn’t care about me, and this one, I would choose this one a million times over.”

Looking up into Iwaizumi’s eyes, he read the truth of his words. It still seemed unbelievable. Too good to be true, even.

“Give me some credit to be able to make my own decisions, will you, Tooru?”

Swallowing, Oikawa nodded, closing his eyes as Iwaizumi kissed his forehead and hugged him close.

“I love you, you shitty asshole. Love you, and the way you work your ass off for this family, and the way you’ve made things better for everyone since you’ve taken over.”

“Oh,” Oikawa said.

“So if you want me to leave, you’re going to have to kick me out. Understand?”

Swallowing, Oikawa nodded, sliding arms around Iwaizumi’s waist and burying his face in the crook of his neck. “Ok.”

“Good,” Iwaizumi murmured, rubbing his back.

Hiccuping, Oikawa realized Iwaizumi’s neck was wet. Wet with tears. His tears. Oh, that was going to ruin Iwaizumi’s shirt.

He didn’t seem to mind.

Allowing himself a sigh, Oikawa relaxed for the first time in what felt like years. Here, here in his arms was his reason for living, the man he loved more than life itself.

“Hey Iwa-chan?” he asked, squeezing the man closer.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

The chuckle that rumbled through Iwaizumi’s body was the sweetest thing he’d heard in years.

“Yeah, dumbass,” Iwaizumi murmured. “I know.”


End file.
